


Academic Inclination

by ItCameFromOuterAce



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Abusive Parents, Altered Mental States, Dissociation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Offscreen Violence, Past Abuse, The argentums aren't in this proper but they're real peices of work, Unbeta'd, and, brotherhood era, now featuring, rejoining canon, smart!Prompto, trying!Ignis, trying!Noctis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-09-21 14:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17045780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItCameFromOuterAce/pseuds/ItCameFromOuterAce
Summary: Prompto's in a new situation, but doesn't know which of the old rules still apply.  Kinkmeme fill, again.I might stop hurting Prompto some day, but this is not that day.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Saj_te_Gyuhyall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saj_te_Gyuhyall/gifts).



> Thank you for the prompt, Nonny!

Ignis had been home on a rare day off when the report card arrived with the post. While he was _technically_ not Prompto's guardian, Prompto being emancipated amongst the other fall out of his 'parents' arrest, Ignis felt a twin pull of responsibility and curiosity as to the contents. He had insisted that Prompto come live with him, citing a need for a flatmate, and was hoping for some tangible proof that Prompto was recovering after the horrifying revelations earlier this year. 

Prompto had been scraping along at the bottom of average in his classes for his entire academic career. Noctis had always made much of how Prompto was a single letter grade from probation in one class every term; a fact that he'd guiltily confessed to Ignis when they had been waiting in the hospital in the spring after the police had questioned them about the Argentums. Ignis suspected that the stress of his circumstances had been taking a toll academically. He had nursed that suspicion over the course of several study sessions with Prompto and the prince which demonstrated the young man's command of various subjects. Eager to see how Prompto was performing in a more supportive environment, Ignis carefully cut open the envelope to pull out the report. His face fell.

Not a mote of improvement. A smattering of passable grades and one damning 'D' in maths. Prompto wouldn't have to retake any courses, but it wasn't the triumph Ignis had believed it would be. Prompto seemed to have a better grasp on trigonometry than Ignis, he had especially expected to see improvement there. A 'D' in maths...

The front door rattled and opened. "I'm home," came the call from the entryway. Something about the way Prompto announced himself always put Ignis on edge. He wasn't privy to the boy's therapy sessions and the court documents relating to his testimony and medical records were sealed, but there was something tense about the greeting. Ignis hoped that with time whatever fear seemed to hold Prompto when he entered what should be a safe place would heal in time.

"Welcome home." Ignis heard the closet door open and shut as Prompto put his shoes away, followed by soft footsteps toward the kitchen. 

“Hey, did you already grab the mail?” Prompto offered a sunny smile as he wandered into the room and set his school bag on the counter. Ignis felt a brief tug of guilt. He’d overstepped himself, snooping into Prompto’s report card, and despite his justifications he was not in a position to be privy to his academic performance. Well, in for a penny…

“Yes I did, and I must beg your forgiveness; I opened and read one of yours.” Ignis held up the report for Prompto to see. The smile faltered momentarily before Prompto fixed it back into place.

“N-no worries, Iggy. That one’s the reason I was asking.” Prompto seemed to brace himself before he came over to take the paper. His shoulders drew in before he checked his grades, and then relaxed as his smile took on a relieved tone. Ignis felt his eyebrows climbing up past the frames of his glasses.

“Prompto, if I may, I’d like to have a discussion with you tonight. Shall I order some curry from the place around the corner?”

“Uh, sure if you’d like. It’s my turn to cook, but I don’t mind getting take out.” Prompto’s eyes flicked from the report card in his hands to the rest of the kitchen, bypassing Ignis. “I’ll, I’ll get started on my homework. Lemme know when you want to eat?” He grabbed his school bag and retreated to his bedroom. Ignis let him go, it had been an awkward few weeks before Prompto had gotten comfortable moving through the apartment and Ignis didn’t want to risk a backslide by restricting him. He turned his attention to the rest of the mail, sorting bills from correspondence from junk. There were two more pieces for Prompto, what looked like his cheque from the social services bureau and an appointment reminder with his social worker. 

Ignis had met him on occasion; a kind, grandfatherly man with a core of iron that he used to push the system into giving Prompto care of himself as well as the funds that would have been paid to a foster family when the young man had confessed his horror at the idea of being placed again. Mr. Aeramen had given a knowing look and his contact information when Ignis had asked Prompto to stay with him. Ignis considered calling for advice, but felt silly about bothering the man over academics. Ignis was able to support Noctis when he faltered in school, Prompto was probably suffering test anxiety or something like it and just needed a friendly shoulder and a bit of coaching to bring his grades up. Prompto might not even want to go to university, there were other paths through life available to him and he’d shown both interest and aptitude when Gladio had gotten a little overzealous helping with Prompto’s physical therapy during the summer and thrown in some self-defence lessons. Ignis could help Prompto become a little more future minded on his own, but kept the option in mind to reach out if need be.

Ignis plotted and puttered about the apartment for about an hour before calling in the meal order. With a timeline established he went to knock on Prompto’s door. There was a pause in the conversation happening on the other side, most likely a video chat with Noctis. “I’ve called in the order, would you care to walk with me to pick it up?”

“Sure Iggy!” came the muffled reply through the door. There was a brief round of muttering as Prompto finished his conversation and the chirp of the computer disconnecting. Ignis made his way to the front of the apartment to get his shoes as Prompto caught up. He had changed out of his school uniform and was wearing comfortable clothes not quite suitable for the fall weather. Ignis didn’t say anything, just grabbed his coat and Prompto followed suit. As they headed out Prompto immediately launched into narrative, something about a dog he had seen near the stop closest to his school. 

Ignis restrained a sigh at the defensive verbosity, as much as he wished Prompto was more comfortable with him previous attempts to cut through the chatter had lead to Prompto shutting down for days at a time. It was better to encourage his openness and wait out the frivolity before approaching a serious topic. Prompto was evidently in a nervous mood, he kept it up until they’d reached the restaurant at which point they’d had a short disagreement about who was paying. Ignis narrowly edged out Prompto’s gambit that it was his turn to cook, therefore his turn to pay by declaring that because it was his idea the curry would be his treat. They left in companionable silence carrying the take out and walked a bit before Ignis decide to bring up the topic hovering over them. 

“So, I saw your report from last term and just want to let you know I’m available if you wanted any extra tutoring or help talking to your school about test or classroom conditions. I believe you would be able to improve your marks for the current term and I would be grateful if you’d allow me to assist.” There, that was well phrased and hit the proper tone of offering without imposing. Ignis was sure Prompto would need a few minutes to think and was already strategizing a discussion with Prompto’s teachers when he realized that Prompto was no longer beside him.

Ignis turned to find Prompto stopped in his tracks, clutching the bag handles like a lifeline, knuckles turning white. His head was hanging down, face hidden behind his bangs so Ignis couldn’t make out his expression. “Prompto?” No response. Ignis played back his statement in his head, looking for ways it could have been misinterpreted. Oh. “Prompto, I’m not implying that you don’t work very hard, or that you’re not putting in the effort and focus, and I’m very sorry I sounded like I was. I just want to help you improve, you’ll have better opportunities with better grades and I hope that you know you can rely on me if there’s anything I can assist you with.” Prompto slowly raised his head, but brought his shoulders in as he did. The wounded look in his eyes was terrible.

“A-actually yeah, there’s something I’ve been struggling with.” Prompto drew a slow breath. “I know I’m in charge of myself now, that was the whole deal after...after everything, but I...I’m still trying to figure out the rules, y’know?” Ignis held his breath; he hadn’t realized he’d been waiting for whatever was happening. “I know my folks were wrong, and that they were wrong about a lot of things, but I...if I don’t know what the Rules are I still go with what they told me.” He ducked his head again, as if the weight of it was an unbearable load that he’d been shouldering. “I, I just…what kind of grades am I _supposed_ to get?” He glanced back up, tears of frustration evident in the corners of his eyes. Ignis released his breath like he’d been knocked down. He looked around, the street was fairly empty of pedestrians during the dinner hour and the few about probably couldn’t eavesdrop over the sound of traffic. Good, this probably wasn’t a conversation that he wanted to bring home with them. Ignis took a moment to regret not calling Mr. Aeramen.

“Ah, well...It’s...Most people would wish to have the highest marks possible. It...did they expect you to...what…” Ignis floundered before falling silent to gather his thoughts. It would serve Ignis and his prince poorly if he could be thrown into disarray so easily. Prompto took the silence as a question.

“Mom and Dad...I know you’ll laugh, but they used to keep me in line by threatening that I’d, y’know, get taken away for doing certain things.” He laughed wetly, though Ignis felt no inclination to do the same. “I mean, I finally got taken away and it’s been awesome, but I’m, like, I’m still _scared_ like, a lot of the time.” Ignis felt like there was a belt tightening around his heart; a familiar sensation when discussing the Argentums and he pushed down the impulse to covertly visit the prison for a chat with the ease of practice. He almost had given in when Noctis asked him to do so, but the prince was still a boy and lacked the authority to order such things for good reason. Ignis cleared his throat.

“Are you saying that they told you to keep your grades low?” Ignis was sure the venom in his voice was well hidden, but Prompto flinched as he nodded. It made a sick sense, Prompto’s grades were not the sort to draw too much positive attention, and with his evident heritage few teachers would be bothered to try to bring him up to the level of other students. Ignis realized how careless he had been, but taking the time to adequately loath himself was time that might do further harm to Prompto. “Prompto, I assure you...I promise nothing will harm you in our home.” Prompto threw his head up at that and Ignis pressed on. “I know life hasn’t been as good to you as you deserve, and if I’ve had a hand….if I’ve not been clear enough...I think this is something we should discuss with Mr. Aeramen if you’d like?”

Ignis held his hand out to Prompto, he wanted to throw his arms around the boy and swear bloody vengeance against the world that had abandoned him for so long, but this was what he allowed himself. Gladio’s father, Clarus, had instructed Ignis to stop scaring people some years ago, that the prince’s chamberlain needed a placid face even if he lacked a placid heart, and Ignis thought this was one of the things he had meant. It was advice that stood him in good stead as Prompto took an unsteady step forward, followed by another. He released one hand from the handle of the takeout bag and took Ignis’s offered palm. Ignis smiled and turned to lead the way home hand in hand. Not wanting to break the moment, but needing to gauge how the conversation with Mr. Aeramen would go Ignis asked, “How have you been controlling your grades up until now? It seems like it would be difficult.” and gave Prompto’s hand a light squeeze.

“Nah,” Prompto chuckled. “It’s easy to just give the wrong answers to the right number of questions, pretty boring most of the time. I only have trouble then the teacher don’t let us know that the questions have different weights or, like, essay questions.”

“Hmm, but what if you genuinely miss a question? Is that what happened with your mathematics?”

“No, I guess I was over-correcting there. I’d gotten caught up and accidentally got an ‘A’ last...well, during the spring term and Ms. Panem had called them to talk about it.” Ignis carefully kept his pace and grip steady. If Prompto could make the correct number of answers wrong it followed that he knew all the correct ones. Easy, he’d called it, boring. Ignis assured himself that Mr. Aeramen would know if it was better to move Prompto to be challenged intellectually or if he should be kept with his established peer group for now. For now, Ignis would make sure his young friend has a safe walk home, a warm supper, and a better friend in Ignis going forward.

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt:  
> Gen or pre-OT4 or pre Prompto/Any, Smart!Prompto angst: Prompto was forced to stay average in school  
> Date: 2018-12-15 06:07 am (UTC)  
> From: (Anonymous)  
> People finally noticed that Prompto's parents were majorly neglectful and outright abusive! Mental and emotional abuse, fillers choice if it ever got physical or sexual.
> 
> Prompto is living with someone else now, again fillers choice (Cor? Ignis? Clarus?IDK).
> 
> It's better, so so much better but-
> 
> Prompto has lived his life knowing exactly what The Rules were, and now there don't seem to be ANY and this is making Prompto one very anxious bean.
> 
> So, he finally breaks down and /asks/.
> 
> One of the first questions is, "What kind of grades am I allowed to get?"
> 
> Understandably, this baffles the person he is asking.
> 
> SO, haltingly, he explains. The reason Prompto's grades never ever rose above the middle was because he was specifically ordered by his parents to not get high grades. Never be more than average, never be noticeable academically.
> 
> Cue horrified reactions.
> 
> \+ Prompto is asked, gently, if he would be willing to take a few tests, to see where he /should/ be, if the classes he's in are the right ones. He agrees, and takes the tests, the results of which are very very surprising.
> 
> ++ At least one person feels extra guilty because they teased or berated Prompto about his grades more than once.
> 
> +++ Feel free to lay on as much angst and drama as you want!!
> 
> (I'm okay with any ship between the chocobros!)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the bright, spring day when it happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I made more of this, hope you enjoy.

It was a beautiful spring day when it all went to hell. Looking back, there were so many missed warning signs, but at the time it had seemed funny when Noct found Prompto hiding from Ms. Panem in the boy’s room. Ms. Panem was a tall, cheerful woman; the kind of teacher that would fill a room with enthusiasm until her kids had no choice but to care about geometry, at least for an hour. Noctis had been assigned to her for first year math and thought she’d be good for Prompto when he got her for second year. The two boys didn’t have many classes together so Noct was surprised when Ms. Panem snagged him in the hallway after class let out.

“Hello Prince Noctis! Tell me, are you still friends with Prompto Argentum? I asked him to come see me during his study period, but he never showed up...oh don’t give me that look, he’s not in trouble.”

“Um, yeah, we hang out, and...um, I’m sure he wasn’t trying to...be rude or anything. He...just, uh...I’ll tell him to go see you if I find him. Are you going to be at the school long?”

“I'll be here a few hours longer doing my grading. If you could send him to my office I'd appreciate it.”

Noct saw a flash of yellow behind Ms. Panem as someone stuck their head around the corner before retreating back the way they came. Prompto was definitely avoiding her. “Yeah, I’ll let him know if I see him before I leave. Are you sure he’s not in trouble?”

Ms. Panem chuckled. “I’m positive, I just want to have a chat with him about his future. You’ve always had focus, but some boys your age don’t realize that the choices they make now can affect their lives for a very long time. I just want Prompto to have all the options available to him.” Noct’s back had gone tight during her brief speech. Focus; what a joke. Was a train on its tracks focused? Still, even if it did give him a little twist of envy; Noct wanted Prompto to have the opportunities that he didn’t. He bid Ms. Panem goodbye and headed in the direction he'd seen Prompto head.

Prompto wasn't lurking by the corner; he must have kept moving while the two were chatting. Noct pulled out his phone and sent a couple quick texts. 

_Ms. Panem’s looking for you_

_She didn’t seem mad or anything_

_She’s going back to her office_

_Coast is clear_

The bathroom door at the end of the hallway pulled open and Prompto stuck his head out and glanced around. Noctis rolled his eyes when Prompto caught sight of him and offered a sheepish grin. He stepped out and trotted over to where Noct was waiting, tugging nervously at the cuffs of his habitual long sleeve shirt. He wore them in the most ridiculous weather, but claimed to be comfortable even while Noctis was sweating. Prompto stopped short and Noct closed the distance and bumped their shoulders together before leading the way to the exit that Ignis would be picking him up from today.

“What’d you do to get Ms. Panem excited? She’s, like, the coolest teacher here.” Noct looked at Prompto out of the corner of his eye and saw the blond droop slightly. Did he think Noctis wasn’t going to care? Nope, he went and made himself Noct’s best friend, and Noct was gonna care.

“Eh, I let myself get distracted during a test and fucked up a little. I’ll talk to her tomorrow when things have cooled down a little.” Prompto ran one hand through his hair, making it stick up for a moment before falling back into place. Noctis kept looking at him side-eyed; that...honestly seemed like a bad idea.

“Dude, adults never improve when you leave them to stew. Trust me; I’ve got teachers on my case all the damn time.” Noct stated with authority. Teachers tended to ignore Prompto, but the crown prince was a magnet for their attention. Even when they were supposed to treat him like just another kid they always had an eye on him. 

Prompto shook his head. “Nah, this’ll blow over. You said she wasn’t mad, right?” Prompto could be stubborn; there was no point in letting him get dug in. Beside, she really hadn’t been upset, right? Noct shrugged, letting the matter go.

“Are you coming over tonight? I downloaded a new game last night and started the install this morning before school. It should be ready to go by the time we’ve got homework done.” Noctis was already looking forward to it, but Prompto shook his head.

“Sorry, my folks are back in town and they want me home for dinner. They’ll be on the road again next week and we’ll be able to hang out whenever.” Prompto was smiling, but that was his usual expression. This was probably his stressed smile. Noct understood. He wished he had more time with his dad, but when he got it he just wanted to crawl into bed and forget the future was going to happen to him whether he wanted it or not. It could be hard being an only child. Gladio was lucky that he had a sister, even if he acted annoyed all the time.

“No prob, I’ll hold off playing it until then.” Prompto opened his mouth to protest and Noct interrupted, “Nope! It’s one of those retro strategy-shooters. I’ll do the platforming stuff, but you’ll have to do the bosses, deal?” Prompto relaxed and bumped their shoulders again.

“Deal. We’ll save the day next time. Hey, Iggy!” Prompto called out as the young man waved from beside the car. Ignis held the door for Noct while Prompto chatted at him about the plans for next week that Noct and he had just made. Ignis listened with a small smile and half an ear while Noct got settled in the back seat. Noctis could never tell if it was nice or condescending the way Ignis let Prompto ramble on. He thought Ignis liked the blonde, but Specs always held his opinions close to the chest. 

They bid farewell and Ignis drove Noct to his apartment. He fussed over things while Noctis started his homework. While working on a chemistry sheet he decided to call Prompto to ask him about it. It was one of the classes they had together and Prompto seemed to just get it while Noct struggled. Prompto’s phone rang twice before he answered. “Heyaz! Couldn’t wait until tomorrow to hear my dulcet tones?” He teased. Noct smiled, he could always rely on Prompto.

“Hey, kinda. I’m doing the worksheet for Mr. Eequil’s class and I’m stuck on the 3rd question. I’m thinking four carbons, but that can’t be right. What result are you getting?”

“Just a sec, remember he likes to shuffle his questions?” Noct listened to papers rustling as Prompto dug through to find the worksheet. “I’m pretty sure the answer to _my_ number three was the natural philosopher Ferristel, you know, the one with the goats?” Somewhere in Prompto’s house a phone was ringing. It stopped before Prompto found his sheet. “Alright, so what was the question?”

They muddled through the worksheet for a while when there was a bang like a door was kicked open on Prompto’s end. After a moment of silence Noctis heard Prompto’s mom say, “Sweetie, we need to have a talk. Say goodbye to your friend for now.”

Noct heard Prompto swallow. It took longer than he would have expected for Prompto to say, “S-sorry Noct, gotta go. Maybe Iggy can help you with it, ok? Bye” There was a soft click and then the sounds got muffled, but the call didn’t disconnect. Prompto must have missed the button to end the call before putting the phone in his pocket. Prompto’s mom had sounded pissed; Noct knew he should hang up rather than listen to his friend get scolded. He had his finger over the button when the first blow landed.

Noctis froze. He’d been in training for combat pretty much his whole life at this point . He knew the sound of a hard, closed-hand strike, but he couldn’t understand why he was hearing it now. His eyes darted around his apartment as he heard more blows land and Prompto frantically apologizing. He couldn’t make out what the angry voice, Prompto’s _mom_ , was shouting, but there was a second voice, deeper, joining in and the sound of more blows. Noctis was out from his seat and moving.

“Iggy!” Noct hissed with his hand over his phone’s mic. He dashed frantically into the kitchen “Iggy, they’re _hurting_ him! What, what do we do?” Ignis took in his charge’s frantic attitude and switched off the stove. Noct wasn’t given to flights of panic or fancy; this was something serious. He took the phone as the deeper voice scolded and blows continued to rain. His eyes widened behind his glasses, and he looked at Noctis while digging out his own phone.

“Are they at Prompto’s house?” He breathed dialing emergency services with one hand while handing the phone back to Noct. Noctis nodded, tears in his eyes.

The voice on the phone carried on tinny and muffled, _“We house you! We feed you! We **warned** you what happens to niff scum in this city, but do you care? Hey, GET BACK HERE!”_ Noct was frozen as the sounds of a scuffle escalated in one ear as Ignis said, “We are overhearing an assault and battery over the phone at a friends house. Please dispatch police immediately to…” Noctis tuned out his oldest friend as his phone caught all his attention. Prompto screamed and there was a series of thumps and bangs before the phone went dead in his hand. He looked at the ‘call ended’ screen numbly. What, what could have happened now? He looked up at Ignis, still on his phone. “Yes, thank you, I’ll remain on the line.” He looked back at Noctis. “They’re sending police and an ambulance, we’ll likely have to make a statement tonight, but we won’t have to go into the station in Prompto’s neighborhood, they’ll come here to take it inside our security. Did the call drop?”

“Iggy, I, we, we can’t just stay here. I-I think Prompto got _thrown down the stairs_ at his place. We gotta get over there!” Noctis shoved past Ignis toward the door, but was brought up short by the hand gripping his arm.

“Noctis, think, the authorities are already on their way. They’ll get there long before we do and when people notice that his highness it a the site of a crime the police will be distracted and the press will trample everything. The best thing we can do to help Prompto now is stay out of the way.” Noct glared at his advisor, but couldn’t argue. He felt sick. He walked over to the couch and collapsed on the cushions. Ignis followed and gingerly sat next to him. Noctis looked at the phone in his hand.

“Are you still on hold with the police?” He asked in a subdued tone. When Ignis nodded, Noct continued, “I’m going to call Gladio. We’ll need security when we go to the hospital to visit Prompto.” He knew Prompto must have been badly hurt at the end there, and was denying the possibility that Prompto might be beyond the help of a hospital. He selected Gladio’s contact and brought to phone to his face. He felt wetness where his thumb touched his face and scrubbed at his tears with his free hand. As he waited for Gladio to answer he prayed that Prompto would be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'll write a part from Gladio's POV. Would you all prefer it to take place before or after Ignis's chapter?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks before.

Gladio didn’t actually meet Prompto until the end of Noct’s first year in high school. He’d seen the security check they’d done on the kid; a skinny folder mostly dealing with his adoption as an infant into a lucian family and his parents history which added up to nothing. He was vaguely glad the brat had a friend his own age, but beyond that didn’t really care. Iggy had met the kid a few times before and didn’t have much to say about him.

Still, he recognized the blond kid from his photo when he tracked down his slacker prince to the arcade. The kid apparently didn’t know who Gladio was and was a little jumpy. Gladio was mildly pleased with the way the kid tried to pull his attention away from Noctis. Other than that he didn’t give Prompto much thought as he lead the prince away to get in some training. He’d been treating his duties like some chore again and Gladio wasn’t letting him slide. The prince had mettle, he’d seen it, and Gladio would be a poor shield if he let it be buried. It wasn’t long before he saw Prompto again.

The prince’s school was on break before the start of the next academic year. According to Ignis; he’d pushed himself out of his funk and was doing well with keeping up on the reports, but he’d still been sliding on training. Gladio was worried that he’d develop bad habits if he didn’t get his head sorted out before classes started for the spring. He dropped by Noctis’s apartment to grab him for a few rounds of sparring one morning and was unimpressed to find him lounging around playing video games. Hopefully he hadn’t been up all night, but it’d be a valuable experience if he had.

“Get up! We’re training at my place today.” He kicked the couch for good measure to get Noct moving. There was a yelp and a clatter of dishes from the kitchen. Shit, he hadn’t even registered the kid in the other half of the room; some guard he was. Pretending he’d know the blonde was there the whole time, he snapped, “You two can play later, his highness's training is important.” Did the kid know who he was? They hadn’t exactly done introductions before. The scrawny kid started stammering apologies as he grabbed a towel to clean up...was that juice or soda? Gladio hoped it was juice.

Noct at least was up, but he was heading for the kitchen, not the door. “Prompto and I have plans for the day. You didn’t schedule a training session; you’re just bored!” He accused before bending to pick up the plastic bowl and spilled pretzels from the floor. Gladio followed him around the island-counter and got a better look at the mess. Bright pink liquid was splashed up Prompto’s pants-leg. Noctis was still talking, but in a low voice meant for his friend. “Sorry about him. You can borrow some of my pants so we can get some stain cleaner on yours.”

“Thanks, but...I don’t want to get in the way. I’m sorry.” He raised his head to see Gladio through his bangs and ducked back to keep mopping the floor. Gladio sighed. Ignis had mentioned that the kid was pretty tightly wound. He was sure if he chased Blondie off he’d get a lecture about Noct’s social development or something.

Rolling his eyes, he offered, “Why don’t you both come with me? That way you get your training in and keep your play-date.” Noct looked thoughtful as he pulled Prompto to his feet and tugged him deeper into the apartment to the laundry station. Gladio followed as Noct dug around in the clean laundry looking for something that would suit the slighter boy.

Noct found some sweatpants with a drawstring and ushered his friend to the bathroom. “It’s...not a bad idea.” He allowed. “Prompto, would you like to? I know you skipped your run this morning to be here.” He gave his shield a stern glance as the door shut. “I’m sure Gladio would be thrilled to fit some cardio in.” Gladio shrugged, he wouldn’t mind and if Blondie was into running he might be a good influence on the prince.

Prompto’s response was muffled by the door.“Um, I’ll have to ask my folks. They’re home right now and they only gave me permission to come over here.” It was nice to see a kid respect their guardians; he still had the occasional nightmare about the time Iris wandered off as a kid. The door swung open and Gladio offered the kid a smile. The gesture was lost as Prompto didn’t raise his gaze above Gladio’s sternum, but he’d tried. Prompto had his phone and wallet in one hand and his stained pants in the other. Noct snatched the latter and headed back to the laundry. Prompto fiddled with his phone as he trailed after the prince, and the cuffs of his borrowed pants trailed after Prompto. Gladio huffed, if Blondie was tagging along he’d have to change again, that wasn’t safe for running. Noctis made himself busy saturating the pants with stain-remover as Prompto wandered back to the main room and had a subdued conversation on the phone. Gladio thought Noct was using too much of the stuff, but he wasn’t sure.

“Um, Mom’s ok with us going out running and to your place. I, ah, I kinda let her think that you were just Noct’s, y’know, fitness trainer? She’s not, like, thrilled that Noct...his highness wastes time on me. She’d, like, kill me if she thought I was screwing up official Crown-Shield stuff. I mean, if I am, I’ll totally go home, but, if it’s alright, I’d like to go with you.” Gladio had been unprepared for the rush of words, but thought he’d caught the gist of it. He shrugged, slightly amused at his demotion. At least that settled if the kid knew who he was.

“Whatever, but you aren’t running with me wearing those.” Gladio pointed to the kid’s ankles. “I’m not having you trip on my watch; if your place isn’t too out of the way we can stop to pick up your running gear.” Prompto froze.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find something else for you to wear.” Noctis butted in. “You wore your running shoes today anyway, right? Come on.” He swept Prompto back to his bedroom to get clothes.

“Don’t try to cut into your time playing dress-up!” Gladio ordered, before settling in at the table to wait. Despite his instructions, he was surprised when the bedroom door opened moments later, but relaxed when Prompto walked into the bathroom carrying an armful of clothes. Kid must be shy. Noctis came to wait with Gladio wearing one of his training outfits. Gladio turned to him. “Why’d he have so many outfits; we’re not going to pick up girls.”

Noct gave him a scathing look. He turned his shoulder toward Gladio and pulled out his phone. Gladio figured that was his answer, but Noct piped up, “He’s a little bit shorter than me, so my pants are all gonna fit him the same way, but he gets cold so he doesn’t want to wear my shorts if it can be helped. He’s just trying a few to see if any of them work, but he’ll probably end up taking a sweater to keep warm.” Gladio grunted in acknowledgement. He kinda wanted to get going if the conclusion was already determined, but it was good for the prince to be patient with his friend. At least, that seemed like what Iggy would say.

Prompto did eventually come out wearing shorts and a sweater like Noctis had predicted. Gladio was mildly irritated to see he’d taken the time to fold the rejected pants. Did he think that some pants were worth making Noct and Gladio wait? He seemed to pick up on the shield’s mood and started stuttering an apology. The prince interrupted him, “Ouch. What the hell happened there?” Gladio’s gaze followed where his charge was pointing and saw a large, deep bruise on Prompto’s shin dappled at the outside. It...it was kinda weird actually. He saw a lot of bruises both on his charge, himself, and other members of the crownsguard he trained with.

Prompto moved his hurt leg behind his good one; although that was also bruised, but not as badly. “Yeah, I fell running last week. Man was that embarrassing. I’m glad nobody was around to see it. Anyway, are you guys ready to go?” Gladio grunted and started walking to the door, letting the two boys follow along.

“Are you sure you’re good to run? If you sprained or broke anything you could be really screwing yourself up if you don’t let it heal first.” He pulled his shoes on by the door while the boys did the same. Man, the kid’s kicks had seen better days. If he was serious about running he’d need new ones, soon. He’d mention it to the brat and find out whenever Blondie’s birthday was.

“Yeah, it’s just, like, embarrassing, not painful? It, y’know, looks bad because I bruise _real_ easy, but I’m not, like, hurt-hurt? I’m fine to run.” Prompto finished tying his shoes and popped up to pull open the door. Gladio was pleased with how well the rest of the morning went. The blonde was a good runner and Noct pushed himself harder instead of getting distracted when Prompto cheered during sparring. Hell, they even showed Blondie some of the basics that could be built into self-defence training with time and it turned out the kid was a natural. He could fall like a pro even if he had no idea how to throw a punch.

It was strange how memory of a fairly nice day could be changed by a single phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the comments and kudos! As is traditional, Prompto's chapter is next to wrap things up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally moving forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, researching for this led me to some uncomfortable realizations. Suffice it to say; Prompto's dissociative episode is based in personal experience, but from a clinical perspective is probably lacking. Also, I learned a word.

Prompto stood next to the couch trying to remember he existed. He’d drifted out for a bit when he got up to…do _something_ , but it was hard to think. Doctor Jenn had some things she wanted him to do when he got like this. The thought drifted away like fuzz. She had a name for it, this wobbly state where the centers of things blurred away to grey and the edges of the world were bright and indistinct. Part of Prompto knew he couldn’t stay like this, but it was almost nice to just _not_ for a little while. A door opened and shut while a voice sounded. Prompto suddenly realized that he had a heart and it was pounding. Ok, it’s ok, Prompto told himself as he took a deep breath and had lungs. 

Ignis came into the room and said words. Prompto swallowed and found his mouth and throat. He forced himself to look in the direction of Ignis’s face and made words. “Uh, sorry Iggy; I zoned out. What’d ya say?” Ignis was making an expression with his eyebrows drawn down and together behind his glasses. Prompto could recognize a frown and part of him that had learned physically running did no good made a desperate bid to escape again. Everything fuzzed out.

Prompto sat on a soft surface as existence started to come back for him again. He was leaned against something warm that also wrapped around his shoulder and rested on his chest. The room was dim, how long...no, the shades were drawn, there was still daylight around the edges. The warmth was firmer than the soft...the couch and was vibrating periodically. No, it was making noise… _he_ was talking. Prompto turned his head and realized there was something hard and smooth in his hands. He looked down at the brightly colored plastic tangle that his therapist had given him and absently looped it around his wrist, over the band hiding... 

He was supposed to name five things around him. That’s was Doctor Jenn wanted him to do. Ok, so; couch, tangle, drapes, table, and...Iggy. Iggy was cuddling Prompto on the couch. The warmth was Iggy’s arm and his thumb rubbed reassuringly against Prompto sternum where his hand spread over Prompto’s heart. He felt his face stretch as he remembered joking with Noct that Ignis had IRL yaoi hands a few meme cycles ago. Ignis’s voice resonated through his chest as he spoke softly into the phone in his other hand.

“...no I’m just saying to wait a bit, but if he’s not up to company I _will_ be telling you to stay at yours. He hasn’t dissociated this badly in a while and...Prompto?”

Prompto heaved a sigh, filling and deflating his lungs as he pushed slightly into Ignis. From the phone he heard Noct’s slightly distorted voice, “Is he up? How’s he doing?”

“You’re on speaker mode, don’t speak like he can’t hear you.” Ignis scolded. Prompto forced himself to roll his eyes instead of flinching; Iggy always high-key tried, but sometimes missed the mark. Prompto grabbed the hand against his chest and held it while he tried to speak. His voice cracked on the first syllable. Ignis gave him a reassuring squeeze as he tried again.

“He- Hey guys, sorry to worry you. I’m alright, I just zoned for a bit when I got home. Were...were we gonna hang out tonight?” He didn’t remember making plans, but he’d missed seeing Noctis at lunch to have a meeting with Mr. Aeramen and one of the academic counselors at the school and then missed his afternoon classes to retake placement tests and have a tiny panic attack. He was supposed to schedule an extra session with Doctor Jenn this week. Crying at school was the literal worst.

“Only if you’re feeling up to it.” Gladio was apparently also on the call. “Princess was telling us you had some kind of meeting today and we wanted to know how you’re doing.”

“Um, yeah I think I’d like to hang out. Today...was a little rough and it’d be cool to see you guys.” Prompto looked up at Iggy’s face and when he got a nod he continued, “Why don’t you two come over and we’ll order a pizza or something.”

Ignis pursed his lips, “Actually, I have the fixings for pizza here; if no one objects to using flatbread as a crust.” Prompto’s smile widened, that sounded fun.

“I want to make my own,” chimed in Noct, “I don't want you sneaking vegetables onto my pizza!”

Prompto grinned. Ignis smirked and said, “I think we can arrange something. We'll expect you in a half hour?”

Gladio snorted. There was a soft scuffle and Noct’s voice was clearer than before. “Actually we're already out and about so we'll be sooner than that. Did you guys want anything from the café while we're here?”

Prompto thought that Iggy’s eye roll must be audible through the phone. He smothered his giggles long enough to ask, “Are you at the place down the road? I could use a matcha bubble tea if you are.” 

Noctis ignored the question. “One bubble tea coming up. Specs, we'll get your usual. See you in a bit!” The call disconnected as Noct dodged any follow up. 

Ignis shifted to put his phone away and tapped Prompto’s elbow. “Are you feeling up to helping me do some prep? If we hurry, I think I can grate some cauliflower into the parmesan without him noticing.” His voice was rich with mischief. Prompto surrendered to laughter and leaned harder into Ignis. Doctor Jenn had warned him to be careful of the ups as well as the downs, but he just felt a bit touchy coming out of it and was relaxing.

“Sorry, but I think the bro code says I’ve gotta keep you here now.” Prompto shifted slightly when Ignis shrugged and brought his other arm up over Prompto. It was really nice, grounding. He’d read that some people who’d been...messed up like Prompto hated being touched, and yeah Iggy could be a little scary, but everyone was, so…

“Well, if that incontrovertible tome of fraternal conduct prescribes us to remain couch-bound I cannot possibly object.” Prompto snorted and vaguely wondered if Ignis’s tutors in courtly manners had ever realized how funny he could make it. He’d read through a few websites on the subject, but wasn’t ready to bring it up, much less try a few jokes. He pulled the tangle off his wrist and started twisting it into a coil with both hands. “Prompto?” Ignis enquired with a reassuring squeeze.

“Sorry, I’m fine; just thinking. I know I make it look hard.” Ignis sighed, lung-warm air drifting across the nape of Prompto’s neck. He didn’t like when Prompto self-deprecated. Prompto focused on reversing the direction of the coil one section at a time. He wasn’t in the mood to hear another lecture about his worth today; thankfully Ignis seemed to pick up on it and stayed quiet. After a few short minutes the bell rang for the door.

Ignis released Prompto and they rose from the couch. “Please go let them in, I’ll put the stone in the oven and start pre-heating it.” Prompto headed to the door and peeked through the spy hole. There was a clear plastic cup of milky green tea with dark pearls showing around the bottom being held into his line of sight. He laughed and pulled the door open. Noct stepped in and handed the cool drink over while dropping his school-bag by the door. Gladio followed carrying a disposable tray with three other drinks; pushing the door shut behind him.

Prompto took the rest of the drinks, too. “Hey guys, welcome. Iggy’s in the kitchen getting stuff ready.” Prompto took a step into the apartment proper to give Noctis and Gladio room to take off their shoes.

“Hey, Blondie.” Gladio lined up his boots and took the three drinks back. He gave Prompto a friendly bump with his shoulder and sauntered toward the kitchen leaving Noctis with Prompto.

“Hey, coming in for a hug.” Noctis slung one arm around Prompto, careful not to jostle the drink as he brought his other arm around. Prompto brought his free hand to the small of Noct’s back and his chin to Noct’s shoulder. Prompto had grabbed a few more centimeters in the last year, but was still a smidge shorter than his friend. He sighed and clung for a minute while soft conversation started in the kitchen. Noct didn’t release him until Prompto let go and took a half step back. “So, did you download the update to Kingsknight yet?”

“Y’know, I forgot about it.” Prompto fished out his phone and switched on the wifi as he led Noct into the kitchen. Ignis had already set out some snacks on the table and had his coffee on the kitchen counter where he was preparing toppings for pizza. Gladio was across from him grating cheese. Prompto glanced around but didn’t see any cauliflower remains lying out. Prompto dropped down into a chair at the table and sipped his tea while cueing his phone’s updates. “Alright, looks like that’ll take a minute. Hey, did you grab any of my homework by any chance? I was supposed to swing by my classes to get it, but they let me come straight home after my meetings instead.”

“Uh, sorry, didn’t think of it.” Noct mumbled around the straw of his own drink. He had it balanced on a raised knee as he slumped in one of the other chairs and fiddled with his phone with both hands. He looked over at Prompto and put his tea and phone on the table. “So, can you tell us how it went? Iggy said you were having a bad day.”

“Eh, it actually went pretty good. Like, I think Ms. Pompa was mad at me, but that’s fair ‘cause I was kinda cheating? But, like, she wasn’t mad-mad. They want me to start taking, um, some college classes, but only if I get my grades up and my head together this semester.” Prompto winced slightly, remembering the discussion. The academic counselor had not done a great job of hiding her agitation as she looked over his records and had warned him that he would have to work hard to bring his GPA up to the level he ought to be at. She didn’t say it in a mean way, but Prompto was sure she had thought it that way. She’d been explaining the different scholarship requirements to help with dual-enrollment for the highest ranked of the nearest three colleges and telling him to bring the essays to her first to proofread before submission when Prompto had finally gotten overwhelmed. He didn’t feel like telling the guys that part.

“Huh, was ‘cheating’ the word she used?” Gladio knocked the side of the grater to get the clinging crumbs of cheese loose before setting it aside and joining the two boys at the table. Prompto rolled his straw between his fingers and gave his tea a stir. He didn’t quite know what to do when Gladio got that half-angry tone. Iggy and Noct insisted that the big guy was just being protective and Prompto _was_ glad to be friends with him, but sometimes…

“No, she called it ‘unfortunate’ and said that she was gonna help me fix it, but y’know.” Gladio raised an eyebrow, but just grunted and pulled his own phone out before helping himself to some crackers. Prompto kept fidgeting; he knew he should to say something more, but the words weren’t coming up. Ignis finished preparing the toppings and came over to sit in his chair. The four of them sat in silence for a few minutes.

Finally Noct broke in, exasperated with the silence, “Well? What are you going to do?”

“Noctis,” Iggy said with a warning tone. The scold was slightly under cut by the theme of Kingsknight coming from his phone as he opened the app.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you guys about, um… I’ve been looking at the requirements for joining the ‘Guard.” Prompto didn't give the silence a chance to build. “I mean, like, I don't think I'm cut out to go career or anything, but, like, the co-collegiate program looks like a good fit for me instead of scrambling for scholarships one semester at a time, y’know? And, well Noct, I know sometimes you need a third guard for, like, stuff and that could be me, if you want.” Prompto blinked when he realized he wasn't panicking from that speech. Noctis had leaned progressively closer as Prompto rambled and was well within Prompto’s space, eyes shining.

“I think that’s a great idea!” Noct enthused, “You kick ass when you train with me and Gladio. Guys?” Prompto looked from Ignis to Gladio. He didn't know if they'd approve, considering how he'd gotten today. 

Ignis had set his phone down and leaned on his elbows to regard Prompto carefully. “You don’t have to decide now, but for what it’s worth; you have my support.”

“Hmmph, you won’t be allowed to join up for another year, you’re still underage. Frankly, you need that time to keep healing.” Gladio grunted. “I think you should apply for some scholarships anyway. D’you want me to see if my dad has time to talk about it?”

Prompto’s eyes widened. “Uhh...thanks? I mean, I’m sure he’s far too busy, but it’s really nice of you to offer.”

“Actually, he’s wanted to meet you for a while. It probably wouldn’t be anything formal or at his office, but you could probably come over for dinner to pick his brain when he has a night off.”

“Oh, heh, yeah. If, like, he wants to, then, um, sure?” The oven beeped, signaling that it was time to start putting the pizzas together and put aside the conversation. Ignis rose to his feet and the others followed to crowd companionably at the countertop. As the distribution of ingredients took the conversation in lighter directions Prompto was happy to know he had his friends in his corner. He hoped he would always be at their side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, made it. Honestly not sure that this one's ready to make it in the wild, but I can't torment my google docs forever.


End file.
